


Flames Pt 1

by BadgersQueen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Dark, F/M, Fire, Fluff and Angst, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:02:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2891345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadgersQueen/pseuds/BadgersQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 1 of 3.</p><p>A Three-part one shot fic that takes place after the episode, "Fire" (The X-Files: Season 1 - Episode 12). </p><p>Summary: Cecil L'Ively, having healed at an alarming/rapid rate, escapes the hospital he's been detained in as his trial was dropped due to the courts other cases that were top priority. Cecil finds himself in a neighborhood and introduces himself to a pretty redhead, Meredith. He uses the alias "Jim" and earns her trust. Warming his way into her home and even manages to fool her boyfriend, Daniel, into thinking he's a gardener. The couple ask him to stay. But even this warm household has it's own little secrets....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flames Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LillianOrchid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillianOrchid/gifts).



> Warning: AU verse & AU OC/Canon ship; very dark; alcohol/gambling addiction; abuse. 
> 
> Meredith is my original character & belongs to me. (as does her backstory/boyfriend) 
> 
> Cecil & all things X-Files do not belong to me nor is mine.

Doctor Wagner was checking his time sheet and writing down a bunch of notes, looking over who was delivering medications to what floor, etc. He stopped at nurse's stations at each floor of the hospital and making sure everyone stuck to their schedules. Not one hair was to be out of place. The place was tense since their newest patient was put under lock and key two months ago. And nobody wanted that shift. In fact the entire staff had begged and pleaded that said patient should have been shipped up north to a better facility but the court system wanted him where he was, so he was to stay put. They were afraid and they had every right to be. Doctor Wagner went down to the closed off and guarded wing that held patient #245609, Cecil L'Ively. The corridor was a bland white and the tiles were a bland grey and the lighting was as bright as the bulbs on a Christmas tree. There were no other doors down here. Nothing flamable. It was cold and the only other door in this corridor was the one that was heavily guarded. The doctor sighed heavily, a weary look in his eyes and feeling older than he actually was. He unlocked the heavy metal door and went into the room. This room was circular with the same white walls but the tiles were a grey-green with only one light that lit the entire room. 

Wagner went over to the hyperbaric chamber that Cecil lay in. He was kept in there mostly at night to keep him from trying to escape when there was so little security and staff around. Normally he was let out to walk around the room if he so wanted. A silver tray, some food still on it but now very cold, sat on the floor. The doctor looked over and down at the patient. He was laying with his eyes closed and seemed rather peaceful. It was unnerving. Cecil's eyes opened having heard someone come into the room. He saw the man standing over him and he just grinned. Something more unnerving than the peaceful slumbering look he'd just had. 

"What brings you by doctor?" Cecil asked, watching him curiously. Nobody ever came to visit him unless it was bring to him food or water. 

"You've healed at an alarming rapid rate and you look back to your old self", Wagner told him, "Is there anything you'd like before I leave for the evening?"

"I need to use the bathroom actually", Cecil replied, "I've needed to for the past fifteen minutes".

Doctor Wagner sighed and nodded, calling the guards in. They came in a moment later and cuffed Cecil's wrists. He'd been a very cheeky yet polite patient but Wagner knew looks could be deceiving. The guards marched him to the bathroom down stairs and to the hallway with the bathroom. Wagner was paged to the nurses station because his wife had called him, leaving L'Ively with the guards. The guards took him into the bathroom and turned away to allow him to his business. Cecil ducked into the one of the stalls to urinate. He noticed there were sprinklers here in the bathroom. Once he was finished, he took his sweet time zipping his trousers. The guards barked at him to hurry it up but Cecil was busy commanding a small spark of fire to saw through his cuffs and they heard the metal drop to the floor a second later. 

"Hey!" The guards yelled, pulling out their guns.

"Hay is for horses", Cecil spoke, pushing the stall door open and looking serious, "And horses hate fire". 

The guards faces fell and before they could manage to shoot or even react, their uniforms caught on fire. The fire caught quickly and burned them within minutes, the smoke triggered the fire alarms and the sprinklers but the sprinklers did nothing to help the two guards. Cecil dropped the cuffs to the floor of the bathroom and stepped over to the burnt bodies. Doctor Wagner heard the fire alarms whilst in his office, his alarm going off in his head as he raced to see what'd happened. The remaining few on each floor of the hospital were in a hurry to evacuate. Wagner could not find anyone to tell him what'd happened and raced to find the two guards who had been put in charge of the dangerous patient. The evacuation of the hospital had gotten the attention of the fire department and a nearby hospital. EMT's and fire trucks were soon there to help out the doctors, nurses and orderly's. Wagner entered the bathroom and fell back into the wall with a jump, eyes on the two dead bodies of the guards. He turned away from the corpses and ran back down the hallway, finding anyone who could help. He saw three of his colleagues at a nurse's station. 

"We have a missing patient!" Wagner was saying to some other doctors. 

"We can't account for everyone until we can turn off the alarms and sprinklers, there's a mass panic", one of the doctor's told him, "Just let the fire and rescue due their jobs".

"No. We need to find him now! It's L'Ively, he's loose!" Wagner shouted.

Cecil had found a stairwell that was used for emergency exits and the alarm rang off the walls in a dull echo here as he moved down to the ground floor. He knew everyone would be too much in a panic to even care about him, most wanted him gone anyway. He did a quick inhale and started coughing. He grabbed a clipboard from a side station and a white coat. With the orderly white coat on, he covered his face, quickly moving through a crowd of distraught orderly's and rescue officers. They were all panicked and when rescuer's tried to help him, he just nodded and waved them off. They let him through. He blended in perfectly. Once away from the loud noises and vehicles, he discarded the white coat and clipboard inside a dumpster. Luckily, the patients were allowed to wear their normal street clothes, he wouldn't stick out too much. Cecil went straight for a bus stop and caught the only bus leaving the area. The bus was empty and the driver looked as though he could careless about Cecil or who he was. As he sat down, he looked out the window and smiled, watching the chaos and bright lights and sirens behind him.

Doctor Wagner shifted nervously as he stood in front of the patients that were brought out and there had been a search of the whole building and even a head count. Cecil was not among anyone there. Wagner shouted that the building had to be checked again. Nobody in their right mind would allow him to walk past them. But nobody had seen him. Wagner had the police call in FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who knew the patient first hand. It took a few hours but the two were at the hospital. Mulder had a cup of coffee and looked on edge about this whole thing and Scully looked bright eyed and rather curious. But she kept her enthusiasm to herself as she knew the sore spot Mulder had about the patient in question. Nobody knew about his fear of fire but her but still, Scully kept her cool. 

"Can you not look like you want to go skipping through a meadow?" Mulder asked as they stepped into the bathroom where the two guards had been found. 

"Cecil L'Ively broke out of this facility at eight-twenty three PM and it's", She glanced at her watch, "One nineteen AM. There's an APB out on him and every officer in the state is looking for him", Scully turned and saw that Mulder was leaning against the door frame of the men's bathroom and avoiding the floor where the charred bodies were still laying. She sighed and went over, standing with him, "If you didn't want to take this case, you didn't have to".

"And what? Let you sit on that car ride all alone with only the 80's station to listen to besides NPR and the soft rock station?" Mulder half joked, still avoiding glancing to his right and keep his eyes on his partner, "No. We took down L'Ively together. I'm not letting you go this alone". Though he shuddered a bit. The images of last time still burnt into his brain. He could not face that again. Why this one criminal? Why this one? Mulder was sure it was a cruel joke. 

Scully led him away from the bathroom to go talk to Doctor Wagner and anyone who had seen Cecil since the breakout. Nobody had answers. Nobody didn't remember seeing him. Scully understood that. They stood at one nurses station after the next, listening to the stories of some panicked nurses and orderlies. "The evacuation happened so fast", "Nobody wanted him here. We all hated his trail was dropped til next winter", "I was outside getting out of my car. All I remember is getting hit with a sprinkler". Talking to Doctor Wagner was no help either. He said his wife called and asked him about dinner and the next thing he knew, the fire alarms were going off and the sprinklers had gone off. "At first I thought it was our fire drill we do once a month but then the sprinklers....and I saw the bodies. He did this", the doctor told them. Mulder and Scully were still at square one and as they stood by the ambulance bus a few minutes later as they watched the EMT's bring out the body bags. 

"Where do you suppose he went?" Scully asked. 

Mulder looked at her so he didn't have to look at the body bags, "And where would he go? I mean, he's a wanted criminal. Every police station from here to California in the united states as his wanted poster. There's an APB on him", he shrugged his shoulders, "Who would take him in? Who would even go near him?" He sighed and sipped at his coffee again. Trying not to think about fire or the events of two months ago. 

Scully stared at the ground again, "I don't know", she shook her head. The question was puzzling and all answers seemed as crazy as the next. 

\- - 

The morning air was damp and cool. Cecil had gotten off the bus he'd taken and had walked for hours, perhaps miles. He didn't recognize his surroundings and found himself walking through a quiet neighborhood. Large yards, trees, large backyards, green grass and paved streets and driveways. Cecil was one or two driveways away when he spotted the first person he'd seen for the last few miles. He moved towards the one yard, a large tree separated the grass from the pavement and he moved behind it. Watching cautiously. His brown eyes watched as a young woman with dark red curls was happily playing with a brown wiener dog in her yard. A frizbee was thrown across the yard and the dog chased after it. The redhead laughed happily and called to the dog. Cecil's brown eyes widened slightly as he watched her. His heart nearly fallen against his chest. His lips felt chapped and he pressed them together to moisten them. The dog chased it's toy again and then once more. The frizbee as thrown and landed by his feet, as fate and luck would have it. Cecil stared at the toy before reaching down to pick it up. The dog barked and went to chase after it. When the wiener dog reached him, it growled and barked. 

"Watson, come here boy!" the redhead called.

Cecil glared at the dog, toying with the frizbee in his hand. His eyes gazed at the redhead, a smile playing across his lips. She was so pretty. A little shorter than himself, curls dancing against her shoulders and her eyes were a pretty gray. She reached him a few minutes later and the dog backed away towards her, still growling at the man standing on their property. The redhead had spotted the man too and seemed a bit hesitant to go near him but she found nothing about him odd or dangerous. He looked travel warn and a bit tired. Not homeless though. Perhaps lost. All the more for her to maybe try to help him. 

"Sorry", Cecil smiled at her, reaching out to hand her the toy.

"Don't be sorry. He doesn't like anyone", She laughed softly, taking the frizbee, "Is there anything I can help you with?" 

Cecil grinned at her, chuckling softly, "The bus dropped me off and I'm a little lost, unfortunately. I have no sense of direction, can you believe it?" He shook his head. 

She laughed too and flushed a little, "It's okay", she nodded, "I'm Meredith by the way", she held out her hand to shake his. 

"Jim", Cecil took her hand to shake it, finding her skin to be soft and smooth, it was unnerving to have close contact, and with such a beautiful woman.

"You look like you could use something to eat and a warm bath", Meredith smiled gently at him. 

"I couldn't impose", Cecil scrunched his face, wrinkling his nose a little. 

She took his hand and pulled him towards the house, "Come on, it's going to rain soon and you look like you've been traveling half the night".

How could he say no? This was perfect. To lay low here for a while, maybe. And he loved how eager and confident she was. The dog followed them a sharp whine and ran for the house first. As he followed behind her, Cecil memorized every little detail of the front entry and the hallway and the living room as she led him inside. Meredith set the frizbee down on a side table and let go of his hand as she set to work leading him towards the kitchen. He couldn't help but notice how cozy the house seemed. Yes, this would so quite perfectly. A second later, there were feet on the stairs and Cecil turned to see a man about his build with brown hair and dark blue eyes enter the kitchen. 

"Who's this sweetie?" the man asked, turning to smile at the redhead.

"Daniel, this is Jim. Jim, this is my boyfriend Daniel", Meredith told him with a smile. 

Cecil almost at once felt a wave of disappointment in his stomach but let it go. He politely shook his hand and smiled, "Nice to meet you".

"Did she drag you off the street too?" Daniel asked, laughing, "She'll drag anyone into our home just to ask for their expertise on my garden".

"Dan, stop", Meredith flushed and moved to pull out leftovers from the fridge to make a plate for their guest, "I do not. Jim was lost and the bus dropped him off and left him here", she said, "He's our guest".

"Garden? Flowers or vegetables?" Cecil wanted to know, though partly still watching the redhead. 

"Flowers", Daniel clapped his hands, "Haven't had a green thumb yet and I want my lovely soon to be wife here to have roses. But the only person in my family who even had a green thumb was my dad and he passed away so", he shrugged.

"Soon to be wife 'ey?" Cecil asked, sitting down in a chair at the counter, though he didn't really care. 

"Engaged to be engaged", Daniel shook his head, smiling at the redhead. He looked at the newcomer, "You'd be the tenth million person to say no by the way, not even our neighbors down the street can't get a leave to grow back there".

"Jim, don't feel obligated to help. Really", Meredith told their guest with a smile, "Dan is just kidding". 

"Oh come on, you know I've been out there digging holes for months. At least let him look", Daniel sighed, giving her a pouted look.

Meredith rolled her eyes at him, laughing, "He's been in the cold all night -" she went to argue. 

"I know gardens, maybe I can stay and help, if that's okay? I don't want to impose", Cecil shrugged, interrupting. 

Meredith and Daniel smiled at each other. There was a bit of a squabble about the idea but Meredith was all for him staying and after a few minutes, Daniel agreed to letting him stay also. What could it hurt? He patted Cecil's shoulder and led him out through the french doors and into the back yard. Cecil glanced back over his shoulder at the redhead and followed her boyfriend outside. He barely listened to the Daniel talk, though he just smiled and nodded and gave some input now and then. He decided to help dig a garden for his girlfriend so Daniel didn't have to worry about doing it wrong or screwing it up. 

\- - 

"So, any kids when you get married?" Cecil asked about an hour later as he had his sleeves rolled up and elbows covered in dirt.

"Actually", Daniel sighed, having been talking about sports, gardening tips, and other little things for the past two hours, he was feeling comfortable to chat about more personal things with this man, "My sweetheart is pregnant. Found out five weeks ago. We've been dating for four years". 

"Oh", Cecil made a face, "So, engaged to be engaged", he twirled the shovel in his hand to emphasize why Daniel had said what he'd said earlier. 

"I'm not ready to be a dad if I am being honest. I don't know if she's ready for this either but she's happy and I want her to be happy", Daniel put his hands on his hips and his shook his head, nervously shuffling his feet. 

Cecil watched him move around as though he'd gotten a slight anxiety about something. He watched as the redhead appeared with lemonade for them. She had such a beautiful smile and the way she kissed the boyfriend. Cecil had to look away. He could feel a flame spark and he badly wanted a cigarette. Maybe could coax Daniel into showing him around so he could get a pack of smokes. He thanked Meredith for the drink and gave her a smile. Her cheeks blushed slightly and she nodded a "Your welcome" at him before moving back inside. "Lunch is ready when you're hungry", she added back to him. Cecil smiled and waved, returning to digging and planting in the garden. Watson, Meredith and Daniel's dog, would not come near him as Cecil went inside to eat. Meredith put the dog on it's bed away from him and apologized for the dog's behavior. She then said she'd go make up a guest room for him and went upstairs. Cecil didn't feel like finishing his lunch and went to explore, going upstairs to find her making up a bed for him. He watched her move about the room and as she turned around, he tried to look as though he'd just come up stairs. 

"Sorry, needed to use the bathroom", He pointed to his right, looking flustered. 

"You have your own, actually", Meredith smiled and pointed into the guest room. 

"Oh, my, aren't I spoiled", Cecil chuckled going into the room and having a look around.

Meredith giggled softly and he loved hearing her laugh. He glanced sideways at her and reminded himself to back off. He couldn't blow this. He went in to the use bathroom and came out a few moments later to find her gone but the bed made and fresh sheets and towels on a chair. Cecil declined eating dinner with them as he wanted to shower and sleep. The couple of course respected this and Meredith brought him a plate of food just in case. Cecil discovered this sitting on his nightstand. It was a couple of sandwiches, chips, iced tea and some chocolate. This couple was too nice and too boring. Well, the boyfriend was too nice and too boring. Meredith however was gentle and kind. Cecil crept down the hallway to their bedroom and found a pack of cigarettes in the dresser under some socks. He quirked an eyebrow, figuring the boyfriend was probably just stressed and needed the relief. He put one of the cig's in his mouth and puffed, lighting it on command. He went back to his room and shut the door. Trying to forget about the redhead and deciding he may spend a couple of days here and then move on. 

\- - 

By the end of the week, the garden in the back yard looked a little better. Cecil had decided to stay some extra days, buy some new clothes and get his bearings in his new surroundings. To keep himself distracted and mind off the redhead, he let Daniel drag him around town and show him around. But he found the boyfriend to be a little too boring and mundane for him. After hearing about Daniel's woes for a few days, Cecil found himself drifting towards Meredith. She seemed lonely with nobody to talk to. He noticed she barely did much except make snacks healthy for her pregnancy and play with the dog. She did talk to the other women on the street but she always seemed nervous or shaken. She kept to herself and household chores. Daniel worked during the day anyway. Something Cecil had noticed was that Dan didn't home until seven most nights. And other nights he heard the other man not go to bed til nearly one am. Meredith seemed rather out of sorts and distant today. And with three of them living in close quarters, she seemed faraway and not as chatty as usual. So Cecil took her for a walk down along the river that was out back of their house. It was a sunny day out and he thought it might cheer her up.

"How would you like to see a magic trick?" Cecil asked after a while of silence between them, having watched her watch some birds flying in the trees. 

"A magic trick?" Meredith looked at him with a raise of her eyebrow, though she felt delighted that he would such a thing and got wide eyed and smiled at him, "Sure. Okay".

Cecil smiled and took out a cigarette. He made it disappear and dramatically looked surprised. This made Meredith giggle and clap her hands like an excited child. Cecil then leaned forward and put his hand by her ear and made the cigarette reappear again. Meredith giggled happily and squealed with delight. Her cheeks pink however as she gazed into his brown eyes. 

"Shall I do it again?" Cecil wanted to know.

"Please", Meredith smiled, nodding her head. 

"As you wish", He grinned brightly at her and made his cigarette disappear. Again he looked surprised and shocked and then took it out of his own ear and put it in his mouth and waved his hands, puffing at the fag as it lit it's self. "Ta-da!" He waved his arms. 

"Oh my word", Meredith put her hands over her mouth and looked at him, "That's is incredible!" She clapped, smiling happily. 

Cecil chuckled and took the cigarette out of his mouth. He continued to do the tricks one after the other for several more minutes. It seemed like an hour before his cigarette was nothing but a little nub. Meredith clapped and laughed and cheered, happy and content. Cecil dropped it to the ground and put it out with his foot. He turned and looked at her. She was just smiling and her eyes were shining brightly. He moved closer to her and gently put his hands on her face, fingers brushing her hair back. Meredith's smile faded and she just stared at him. She flinched at his touch.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, watching her. 

"Please don't touch me", Meredith murmured to him.

She stepped away from him and looked rather scared. He looked confused. She'd just been happily laughing and clapping and now she looked scared. They walked back to the house and Cecil felt angry. Meredith ducked out of sight and Cecil took out another cigarette to smoke, leaning against the back french doors. That afternoon walk seemed like hours away now. He went to find her to apologize and went upstairs to find her standing in the bathroom. She was pulling up her t-shirt and he saw two large bruises swollen around her back and hip areas. She heard movement and turned to see him standing there. Shoving her t-shirt down, she flushed brightly and looked down at her feet. 

"I just...I just fell. Last week", Meredith shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. 

"Fell?" Cecil wasn't sure he believed it. 

Meredith looked at him angrily and shut the door in his face. Cecil jumped slightly at the slam of the door. He hadn't meant to intrude, only to apologize. He went to the door of the bathroom and knocked. "Meredith, I'm sorry", he started to say, feeling awkward. Maybe he shouldn't have stayed here. He was flustered and felt uncomfortable about seeing what'd seen. He turned and went back downstairs. Meredith fell against the bathroom door and sat down on the floor and started to cry into her hands. That night at dinner was tense. Daniel wondered what happened between the two as Meredith and Cecil weren't looking at each other.

"You two get into a fight?" Daniel wanted to know, "Honey?" He put his hand on Meredith's.

"No. I just...tired", Meredith muttered, smiling at him and then pulled her hand away.

"We went for a walk and it just wore her out", Cecil nodded, agreeing to the story.

Daniel made a face but nodded. Meredith didn't stay to help with dishes and went upstairs. Daniel went into the kitchen while Cecil was washing the dishes and went up to him. He grabbed the towel from Cecil's hands and frowned at him. "What's going on between you two?" He asked.

"Mate, I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends. She got tired on our walk-" Cecil started to say.

"A walk? Right. I've seen you look at her and you two have gotten a little too close-" Daniel began to say.

Cecil smiled, "I thought you were okay about me staying here, if I'm correct. I don't want to step on anyone's toes. Alright?" 

"Meredith sat at that table tonight and barely said a word to me and she won't look at you. So either you are some house wife fucking lunatic or you did something to upset her. Now which is it, Jim? Because if we have a problem, I will have to ask you to leave", Daniel got into his face.

Cecil frowned. Seems like the chummy nice guy days were over from what he could tell from Daniel's attitude, "I wouldn't fuck her, first of all. I'd make sweet love to her instead of obsessing over some stupid rose bush. I wouldn't hide cigarette's in my dresser. And I wouldn't pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows", he paused here, "Don't think I haven't noticed that you don't come home from work early every day either. You come home at seven in the evening every night and you stay up watching TV until one. And I hear you on the stairs, stumbling"- 

"I have a drink. One drink of whiskey every night before bed. I get light headed because I stand up too quickly and some nights I'm tired. Happens to all of us", Daniel argued back.

"Right", Cecil shook his head, "Sorry. I guess we're all sort of stressed. My apologies".

He turned to leave the kitchen when Daniel walked towards him, making Cecil turn around, "Stay away from her, okay? I don't mind if you garden, buy the groceries, take the car to get gas in it, walk the dog", Daniel get in his face, "Just stay away from Meredith". Cecil could smell whiskey on his breath as the other man spoke. 

Cecil watched Daniel continue to do the dishes. He turned and went upstairs. Grabbing his cigarettes and jacket and then went back down stairs. Daniel didn't even register his presence. Cecil decided to go outside to sit on the deck swing and have a smoke. Going over the past week in his head. Daniel had seemed so mundane at first but something about him seemed more stressed out about something other than just his girlfriend being pregnant. Cecil just puffed on his cigarette thinking of Meredith again. He closed his eyes, remembering how happy and beautiful she looked earlier that afternoon when he'd done his magic tricks for her. The more he thought about her, the images of her taking off her clothes, laying on a blanket in front of a warm fire, swirled in his mind. Her naked form, pregnant and soft. Her breasts swelled and sensitive in the dim light of the fire. Cecil felt flustered as he felt his trousers become somewhat tight. He imagined himself kissing her and taking her into his arms, making love to her. His groin ached and his breath caught. He almost dropped his cigarette and had to stand up as he opened his eyes. 

Going back inside, Cecil didn't see any signs of Daniel. He was going up the stairs when he saw Meredith wearing a bathrobe and standing at the top of the stairs. He felt his groin ache again. The sight of her made his trousers tighten. He hoped she wouldn't notice. She looked tired and a bit worried about something. Ignoring his obvious problem in his pants, he reached her and she looked at him. 

"Have you seen Daniel?" She asked him quietly.

"I think he went out, I'm not sure. He didn't say", Cecil shook his head. 

Meredith nodded and looked at the floor. She seemed upset about something. Cecil watched her trail back to bed before he too went off to sleep for the night. Later on, around one or two in the morning, Cecil heard something break down stairs and the dog barking. He got up and went to see what it was. Meredith joined him on the stairs and he gestured for her to stay there before going down stairs instead. Cecil went into the kitchen and then living room. He found Daniel passed out on the floor, a lamp broken near him. He'd apparently stumbled and knocked it over. Meredith came down a second later to calm Watson down and found her boyfriend laying passed out on the floor of the living room. 

"Sorry", Cecil apologized and went to her, moving her away from the sight of the other man. 

As he rubbed her back, moving her to go back upstairs, Cecil glared down at Daniel's intoxicated form laying on the carpet. He smelled of whiskey and bourbon and perhaps rum. Cecil felt sick to his stomach. Again the angry flame was building up in his stomach but wanted to keep it together. Daniel was just being stupid, he decided now. With Meredith back in bed, her dog curled up at her side, Cecil decided to go down stairs and turn Daniel over. The other man opened his eyes weakly and laughed.

"Hiya Jim", Daniel hiccuped.

"You're an arse", Cecil told him, "Mere saw you. And you're going to have deal with this". 

Daniel moaned and said something about having a headache. But nothing what Cecil had said sunk in or perhaps he wasn't even listening. Cecil left him there and went back to bed. He didn't sleep though. Fuming with rage about how someone so beautiful could end up with someone so idiotic and pathetic. 

"Maybe he's not the perfect boyfriend after all", Cecil mused, huffing slightly. 

He listened for Daniel's footsteps to come up the stairs but they never did.


End file.
